TOW the Wallet
by anongurl
Summary: Chandler disappears and 3 years later his wallet is found... M/C :-)
1. Default Chapter

Chapter 1:LOST AND FOUND  
  
Hi, everyone. This is my second story. (I know the title of this chapter is the same as the title of my last story, but it just fir, so I used it again.) I know this might sound similar to other stories you have read, but I tried very hard to make it unique and I haven't read anything like it. Anyway, tell me what you think. Hope you like it. (  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, and I am not writing this to make any money.  
  
  
  
Sharon Davis surveyed the scene in front of her and she smiled. She loved watching people. Not in a bad, or scary way, but in an interested way. Sharon was studying psychiatry and human behavior at the local college and worked at the airport to pay the bills. She was one of the people who stand behind the desk and 'check' peoples' luggage. Most would find this to be a boring job, but Sharon loved it. She was watching how a student was saying goodbye to her parents, as she left for university and a woman saying goodbye to her husband and son, as she was leaving for a work trip. She loved her job, as ever since she was young, Sharon always loved watching, and learning from, people. She studied their interactions and relationships with each other. It often amazed her.  
  
Suddenly a man came running up to her desk, out of breath, pulling Sharon out of her train of thought.  
  
"Hello, Sir, And how are you today?" Sharon asked, smiling. The man nodded and coughed, in an attempt to catch his breath. "May I see your boarding pass please?" Sharon continued.  
  
The man pulled out his wallet and passed her his pass. "Please tell me I'm not to late." He said managed to get out, still breathing heavily.  
  
Sharon typed the flight code into her computer and winced. "I'm sorry sir, but your flight has just finished boarding."  
  
"Damn," he said. "I got caught in traffic on the way here."  
  
Sharon offered him a sympathetic look. "Well, let me see if we have any other flights." She typed some other code into her computer. "Okay, we have a flight out at 6:00 this afternoon."  
  
"I need to be in Vancouver by 5:30 at the latest." He answered.  
  
"Okay, let me see what else I can do." Sharon trailed off for a few seconds and typed something into her computer. "Here we go. I can put you on a flight 98743 to Pearson Airport in Toronto, where you can board connecting flight 337 to Vancouver, which will land at 5:15."  
  
"Perfect. I'll take it." The man said, thankfully.  
  
"Okay," Sharon handed him a new boarding pass. "The flight leaves in 25 minutes, you better hurry."  
  
"Thank-you so much"  
  
"You're very welcome. And have a great trip." Sharon smiled and watched the man hurry down the terminal. Just as he disappeared out of sight, her shift ended and her replacement arrived.  
  
Her replacement soon noticed a wallet sitting on the desk and picked it up. She put it on the shelf above her, with a mental reminder to take it to lost and found at the end of the day. But, she got busy and she forgot and time passed. A lot of time.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Julie coughed as she pulled yet another box down from the above shelf. She closed her eyes and held her breath as she waited for the dust to settle. She sighed. Julie had been given the job of clearing out this particular section of the airport, before it was closed for renovations.  
  
She stood up on the stepladder, to make sure she had gotten everything off of the shelf. That's when she noticed a small item at the back. She reached forward and pulled it out. After blowing off the dust, she discovered it to be a wallet. Upon opening it she found credit cards, membership cards and a picture of a good-looking man and a beautiful woman. They were both laughing and it looked as if they were in love. Julie smiled. She was a sucker for sappy stuff. On one of the membership cards she found a name and number.  
  
"Chandler Bing," She said to her self as she dialed the number. It rang quite a few times before someone answered.  
  
Ross looked up from his book when he heard the phone ring. He glanced at Rachel and Joey who were watching television. The three of them then all looked at the phone. They stared at it while it rang a few times. Ross rolled his eyes and picked it up.  
  
"Hello?" He said.  
  
"Hi, may a speak to Chandler Bing, please?" a female voice on the other line asked.  
  
Ross froze. He was flustered and didn't know what to say. It had been 3 years and he thought the phone calls to Chandler were over by now. "Um, he doesn't live here anymore," Ross finally answered.  
  
"Oh, well then, do you happen to have a number at where he is currently living?"  
  
Again Ross was flustered. "I don't know where he is living right now," Ross answered. "Or if he is living." He added quietly, but not quietly enough.  
  
"Oh, then I'm sorry to call you, but I work at the airport and I was cleaning off a shelf when I found a wallet with his name in it. Do you know where any of his family lives, so I can send it to them?"  
  
"You could send it here," Ross immediately said. "My sister was engaged to him and it would mean a lot to her."  
  
"Of course, let me just write down the address."  
  
Later that day Monica walked into her apartment and sighed with relief. One more day over and done with. She was surprised to see her brother sitting at the table watching her.  
  
"What's up Ross?" she asked.  
  
He hesitated before answering. "The airport called this morning,. they found Chandler's wallet."  
  
Monica couldn't think of anything to say. She opened here mouth to say something, anything, but Ross cut her off.  
  
"It had obviously been there for awhile, probably from the day he." Ross trailed off. He had gone to far. He watched as Monica's eyes filled with tears and as she drew in a shaky breath. He felt so bad for her. She had been through so much over the past 3 years and her eyes, which had once been sparkling full of light and happiness, now looked dark and depressing. You could tell just by looking at them that she had been through far too much and had never fully recovered. She was aged well passed her years.  
  
Ross quickly closed the gap between them and pulled his little sister into a big hug. She held onto him tightly and cried. He was one of the very few people whom she could trust.  
  
Monica fought the tears as long as she could before breaking down in Ross' arms. Her mind wandered back to the last day she could remember where she had been happy and wondered; what went wrong? 


	2. Never arrived?

"I'm going to miss you, so much," Monica told Chandler as she hugged him goodbye.  
  
"You to, Mon, but it's only a week."  
  
"I know, but think. This is the longest we'll be apart since we got together." Monica paused. " I love you so much." She said her bright eyes glistening slightly.  
  
"I love you, to," Chandler answered smiling. He felt so lucky. "I'll call you when I check into my hotel and I'll leave you a number for you to reach me. Okay?"  
  
"'Kay." Monica said. He pulled her in close, once more, savoring the feeling and planted a kiss on her forehead. "Goodbye."  
  
"Bye," Monica answered. She watched him turn around and she reached out and grabbed his arm. He stopped and turned back. She pulled him into a long, passionate kiss. He smiled and let his hand linger on the side of her face for a few seconds before getting in the waiting cab and heading for the airport.  
  
Monica had stayed up late that night waiting for Chandler's call, to let her know he had gotten there safely. At one point she looked at the clock to find it to be 1:30 in the morning. She sighed and continued to flip the channels. " serious crash on highway./ to order just call 1 800 ./ flight 337 down./ passenger train derailed./ and he gets a nice grounder to center field./ and tomorrow's high should reach." (AN: every / represents a change of the channel. () Monica stifled a yawn as her eyelids became heavy.  
  
She eventually fell asleep on the couch and woke up surprised to find no message on the machine. She began to be concerned. The concern grew when the call did not come for the rest of the week. Her friends kept suggesting that he was very busy and had simply forgotten to call, but she knew better than that. She knew he would have called if he could have. Deep in the pit of her stomach, she knew something was wrong.  
  
When Chandler didn't return home at the end of the week, Monica had called his office. There she got the news she had been hoping and praying she would not hear. Chandler had never arrived in Vancouver.  
  
* * * * *  
  
The door to Monica's apartment opened, bringing her back to the present. It was Rachel, who at seeing Ross comforting Monica silently joined the hug. As did Joey and Phoebe, when they arrived not long after Rachel. It made Monica smile and she even began to laugh. She was so lucky to have such great friends.  
  
Two days later, Monica arrived home to find her friends in her apartment. She was upset and they immediately noticed. "What's up?" Rachel asked.  
  
"Well, there's this company from Toronto who's coming to New York for a few months for some business thing and my restaurant is trying to get the job of catering to them while they're here, so my boss is sending me and some others to Toronto to try and get the business." Monica said unhappily.  
  
"I don't see what's so bad about that," Phoebe said. "I mean you get to go to another country, met some new people.Oh no."  
  
"I tried to get out of it, but my boss wouldn't let me. We have to cook them a meal to help get the business and my boss said I'm the best he has, so I have to go." Monica said.  
  
"Are you going to be alright?" Rachel asked. "I mean this involves lots of other people and you've been so timid around people lately, ever since." she trailed off not wanting to mention the incident two years ago that she still felt responsible for. Monica had been badly hurt physically and even more so mentally.  
  
Monica looked and Rachel and offered her a small smile, "I'll be fine." She said. "At least I hope I will," she muttered to herself.  
  
* * * * *  
  
One week later Monica entered the airport and was immediately overwhelmed by all the people rushing around her. Feelings of fear rose up in her mind and threatened to take over. Monica took a deep breath and fought off the fear. She was used to it, she had been living with this fear for 2 years, although she would never admit to how bad it was. She reached up and felt the ring she had tied on a string around her neck. She kept it just under her shirt, out of view. Her friends didn't even know she still wore it. It was the ring Chandler had given her almost 4 years before as a promise to spend his life with her. That was before he had disappeared without a trace. In this airport, she thought. He had gone missing in this very airport. She shuddered and reached up once again to feel the ring. It always gave her reassurance.  
  
A few hours later Monica found herself leaning against the side of the plane, staring down, out the window. She sighed and glanced next to her. She had been lucky to end up with no one beside her; it was a huge relief to her, since she was still very wary of strangers. Just for a few seconds she allowed herself to wish she could go back to her old life, before Chandler disappeared, before she was scared all the time, before.. 'No' she told herself, there was no point in dwelling on the past, that's what her therapist always told her. 


	3. Why?

Jason Banks surveyed the scene in front of him with mock boredom. He, along with many of his colleagues, was sitting in an auditorium, waiting for a presentation. It was to be presented by yet another restaurant from New York. Jason's company was participating in a 2 month long, project in New York to set up a new office out there, and they were interviewing restaurants to cater to them when they were there. Although Jason would never admit it, he was interested in these presentations. He found he had an odd interest in food, but no talent in cooking or anything, so he often wondered where his interest and strange knowledge of many cooking terms came from.  
  
He pulled his eyes away from the team who had just finished their presentation and glanced over at his friend Scott, who was sitting back in his seat, his feet on the chair in front of him, looking completely and utterly bored out of his mind. Scott was a good guy, he just had little patience for one presentation after another.  
  
"Just one more left," Jason told his friend, a smile on his face.  
  
Scott looked over at Jason and rolled his eyes. "Ever had that feeling where you just wanna kill yourself?" he asked jokingly. "I mean come on, we've been here for 4 hours."  
  
"It's not that bad," Jason answered laughing. "Oh, and it's only been 2 hours."  
  
"Well it's been the longest 2 hours of my life."  
  
"He's right, dude," Jeff, another coworker/friend added. "It's not that bad. Plus, I can't wait until later, when we get to test all of their food."  
  
Jason rolled his eyes and returned his attention to the front of the room, where the next team was just entering. Leading the group was a very confident, friendly, but firm, looking man. Boss, Jason told himself, definitely the boss. He was followed by a fairly good looking women with short blonde hair, who was clearly trying just a little to hard to look good. Jason felt sorry for the girl, as she looked young and nervous. Following her were 2 men. One looking like he was in his early 20's and the other his late 30's. Both were dressed in a suit, and looked comfortable.  
  
The last individual to enter the room immediately caught Jason's attention. She looked to be around thirty and had long, black hair. She was dressed well, but not in an attention grabbing way, as she was wearing a pair of black pants and a white blouse. She looked very uncomfortable to be in a room filled with so many people. He watched as she reached her hand up to touch something that was hanging around her neck. She then closed her eyes and took a deep breath.  
  
"Wow, would you look at the brunette," Roger, who was a coworker, but not exactly friend of Jason, said. "Wouldn't you like to get into her."  
  
"Roger!" Jason cut him off, "give it up. I mean look at her, she looks really scared." Jason did not like Roger, as he could be really cruel to women. He treated them like possessions, that you could get and get rid of on a whim. He also talked about and critiqued every one he say. It really pissed Jason off sometimes. Like now.  
  
"Jason, don't be a dumbass," Roger said. "She looks fine. Not scared at all."  
  
"Are you kidding?" Jason asked, them turned his attention to Scott and Jeff. " Does she not look scared to you?"  
  
"Not really," Scott said, unsure and Jeff shook his head, agreeing with Scott.  
  
Jason looked back down at he. He couldn't explain it, but he could just tell she was not happy. To him she looked terrified.  
  
He watched as she was introduced to his boss, Mr. Gordon, who shook her hand, very strongly. He saw her flinch inwardly and close her eyes for a second longer than normal. He could tell something was not right.  
  
Monica cursed at herself for flinching in front of potential clients. She closed her eyes for a second and took a deep breath. She fought the urge not to reach for the ring. She was prepared to apologize to Mr. Gordon, but when she opened her eyes she saw that he had not even noticed and had moved on to meet the next person on her team.  
  
Monica stood to the side and watched as her boss and two of their waiters/ waitresses, Anna and Matt began the presentation, explaining times of meals, and ordering, costs, etc. Monica closed her eyes and took a series of deep breath, as she felt for the ring, for the millionth time that day. Finally, she forced herself to open her eyes and observe the group watching the presentation. She had to do her part of the presentation soon and she knew if she didn't she would break down seeing them for the first time with all eyes on her.  
  
Monica peered, timidly up at everyone. There were only about 15-20 people, but in her eyes, they were just one big blur. She couldn't focus on a single person. At first this concerned her, but then she realized that it was probably for the best. She got her cue took a deep breath, and walked onto the little stage.  
  
* * * * *  
  
"Hey Monica, would you like to grab a bite to eat with us tonight?" Anna asked Monica as they were riding the elevator up to their hotel rooms.  
  
"Um, not tonight, Anna, but thanks anyway. I think I'm just gonna go to bed early, I'm exhausted." Monica answered. She was exhausted. Mentally and emotionally exhausted and all she wanted to do was get to her room and cry.  
  
Anna shot her a sympathetic look. She knew vaguely what had happened to Monica, and often felt bad for her. In her eyes, Monica was a great person, but always seemed too scared to actually live life. "Well, if you change your mind, meet us in the lobby in half and hour."  
  
"Thanks," Monica said, offering Anna a small smile. Monica gulped and felt her eyes fill with tears. She was fighting a loosing battle and the tears were coming whether she wanted them or not. No, she would not let herself break down in the middle of the hall way, not in front of Anna. She got to her door and managed to get it open. The second it was closed behind her, she collapsed on the floor and sobbed. She didn't know how long she lay there, but eventually, she pulled herself up, just to collapse on the bed, and clutching at a pillow, she felt the second-wave of tears come. She cried until she couldn't cry anymore and then she cried again. She found herself heaving, to get oxygen into her system as she had lost the ability to regulate her breathing.  
  
As she lay there, struggling to breath, she allowed herself to ask why. Why had this happened to her? Why had Rachel set her up with Mark? Why did Mark do what he did? Why had Chandler left all those years ago? Had she done something wrong? Did he not love her? Was he even alive? Monica felt more tears and succumbed to them. She had long since given up fighting the tears when they came. It was useless.  
  
Eventually Monica fell into a restless sleep, dreaming of what had happened to her 2 years before.  
  
"Hi Monica," Rachel said entering Monica's apartment.  
  
"Hey Rach," Monica answered, walking out of her room.  
  
It looked to Rachel that Monica had been crying. She felt bad for her friend. Just a month before their wedding, Chandler had left for a work trip, never to be heard from again. No one knew what had happened to him, or even if he was alive, or dead.  
  
"Monica," Rachel started. " I have something to ask you."  
  
"What?" Monica asked suspiciously. She didn't like the look on Rachel's face.  
  
"Well, I met this guy and."  
  
"No," Monica said, knowing what was coming next.  
  
"But.."  
  
"No," Monica repeated.  
  
"Mon," Rachel said gently, "He's been gone for a year."  
  
Monica looked at her with a look of such sorrow, that Rachel pulled her into a big hug. "I'm so sorry he's gone, Mon. And I miss him to, but you need to move on with your life. You know I'm telling the truth."  
  
"I know," Monica whispered. "But, I miss him so much, Rach. Why did he leave?"  
  
"I don't know, Mon, but where ever he is, he wants you to be happy." To this, Monica said nothing. "So, all I'm asking is for you to go out once with this guy."  
  
"Rach." Monica started, but weaker than before.  
  
"I'm only asking for one date, Mon, and I'll get off your back. You know what, don't even call it a date. Just grab a bite to eat with him. He's a good guy."  
  
Monica sighed. She knew she wasn't going to win this one.  
  
Rachel took this as a good sign and continued. "His name is Mark and I just met him myself. He is a friend of a friend of mine. Remember Trudy? Well, it's her friends brother."  
  
Monica had long since lost her will to fight, so it didn't take much more convincing from Rachel to get her to agree to the date. She hated the idea of dating someone else and she felt like she was betraying Chandler, but Rachel could be very convincing when she wanted to be. So Monica agreed to the date, even though every part of her was screaming No. 


	4. The past

A/N: Just to let everyone know, this is the one chapter I was unsure if it would fall under PG or PG-13. It's not bad or anything; there is just a small portion with violence. Just a warning. Hope everyone is enjoying so far.  
  
  
  
Monica awoke to find herself in a fetal position, clutching a pillow. At first she was disoriented, but as soon as she forced her eyes to focus, she saw her suitcase come into view, and her surroundings came crashing down around her. She remembered where she was and she remembered her breakdown the night before, as well as the dream. She shuddered at the thought of what she knew would have happened in her dream, had she not woken up. She shook her head and forced all negative thoughts out of her head. This was a new day and she was not going to allow herself to be as terrified as she was the day before.  
  
Monica picked herself up and stumbled over to the bathroom to take a shower. Not long after she got in, her mind won the battle and the memories came flooding into her head.  
  
"Monica, this is Mark. Mark, this is Monica," Rachel said with a smile. She was glad she had finally been able to get Monica out of the apartment. She had been so depressed for so long. She deserved this.  
  
"Hi," Monica said timidly, offering Mark her hand.  
  
"Hello, Monica. How are you?" Mark asked, warmly, shaking her hand. Rachel smiled. Mark had been lightly briefed about what had happened with Chandler, so he knew to take things slow. She was sure Monica was going to be fine. She smiled and excused herself.  
  
A couple hours later, Rachel finally heard the door open. She turned around from her spot on the couch to see Monica walk in the door. She seemed lost in her own thought.  
  
"Hey Mon!" Rachel said a little too loudly. She was very excited for her best friend. "How was the date?"  
  
Monica jumped. "My God Rachel. You scared the hell out of me. What are you doing here?" she asked, avoiding the question.  
  
"Waiting for you to get home," she answered quickly. "Now answer my question."  
  
"It was .okay," Monica answered, unsure.  
  
"Good okay, or bad okay?" Rachel asked.  
  
"I don't really know."  
  
Rachel was confused. "Do you like him or not?" she demanded.  
  
"Well," Monica started, trying to explain this to Rachel. "He seemed really nice and everything, but there was just something about him that I can't put my finger on."  
  
"Something like what?"  
  
"I don't know. He just gave me this weird, uncomfortable feeling."  
  
"You know what, Honey?" Rachel asked, sure she knew what the problem was.  
  
"What?" Monica asked.  
  
"I think I know what it is." Rachel paused and took a deep breath. She knew she had to approach this topic lightly and tread softly. "I think the problem is that you are comparing him too much to Chandler." Monica tried to cut in, but Rachel didn't let her. "I know how much you loved him, Mon, but you have to accept that he is gone. Mark doesn't need to replace Chandler, but he would be good to have around. Oh, Mon, come here," Rachel said, pulling Monica into a hug when she saw that she was crying.  
  
"It's just so hard," Monica said through her tears. "I miss him so much."  
  
"I know you do, Honey. I know you do, but he wants you to be happy, okay?" Monica nodded. "Now, when are you two going to go out again?"  
  
This continued for just over a month. Rachel was ecstatic that she had finally helped Monica be happy, and Monica kept going out with Mark, to keep Rachel off her back. She still got that feeling that she just couldn't describe. Mark seemed to be a good guy. He was very patient with her and had not tried to push her into anything she didn't want. She had not even allowed him to do anymore to her that a simple peck on the cheek and he still seemed to like her. That is until one day.  
  
Monica arrived home from work to find Mark waiting by her door. It startled her to see him there, but she smiled and invited him in. He seemed different. She was very careful not to get to close to him, as he seemed edgy. She watched as he watched her place the mail down on the counter and check the messages. Finally, she had had enough and asked him what was up.  
  
"Hey Mark," she started. "Is everything okay?"  
  
"Is everything okay," He repeated. Then he laughed. "NO! Everything is not okay! I have been the patient, happy boyfriend for a whole freakin' month. And where has it gotten me? Nowhere! You won't even let me touch you, for crying out loud!"  
  
Monica was taken aback for a moment then she responded. "Mark, I told you from the beginning. If you want out, the door is open." Monica was actually relieved that their relationship was over, she was never totally comfortable with him, but she was wrong. He didn't leave.  
  
Instead he walked confidently over to he. Monica stood up confidently, on the inside she was terrified, not knowing what he was going to do. He stood there staring down at her for a few seconds, almost challenging her. She didn't back down. Then, before she could do anything, he hit her. Backhanded her across the face. Hard. She fell. He laughed.  
  
Monica lay there in shock, the situation not making sense to her. Had Mark just hit her? Suddenly he grabbed her arm and forced her to her feet. She winced at the angle her arm was in, which only made him twist harder.  
  
"Now you listen to me," He said commandingly. "You and me are going to go out tonight and you are going to act happy."  
  
He stormed over to the fridge and pulled a bag of corn out of the freezer. He stormed back over to Monica and pushed it up against her already swelling face. They both heard the door open. Rachel walked in.  
  
"Oh my God," she said when she saw Mark holding the icepack up against Monica's face. "What happened?"  
  
Before Monica could respond, Mark did. "Monica fell coming up the stairs." He said, in a concerned voice to Rachel. He then whispered quietly into Monica's ear. "If you say anything, I will kill you."  
  
This was only the beginning for the abuse. For the next month, Mark force Monica to do many things she was not ready to do. She put on a brave front for her friends; afraid of what Mark would do if she told anyone. She was relieved, but startled that she could fool her friends so easily. Lucky for Monica, Mark had not yet tried to sleep with her, which Monica was very glad for, as she did not know what she would do if confronted with the situation. She was soon faced with the problem.  
  
By sheer will alone, Monica forced her mind back to the present. She was crying again and did nothing to stop the tears. She didn't even have the energy to wipe them off her face. She pulled herself out of the shower and put on a robe. She then walked out of the bathroom and hesitantly approached her suitcase. Carefully, Monica pulled out the package she had been afraid to open, until now. She knew she had to do this.  
  
She sat on the edge of her bed, holding the package for 30 minutes before she had enough willpower built up to open it. She found herself staring down at an object she recognized, even after all these years. Chandler's wallet.  
  
Monica took a deep breath and opened it. She sifted through his cards and smiled slightly when she found his gym card. She still remembered his inability to 'quit the gym.' She then began searching through the bill fold part, looking for anything that would give her a reason or even a clue to his disappearance. Just as she was giving up, she came across a small folded picture of her and Chandler. She began to cry again when she saw it.  
  
She and Chandler had gotten their picture taken in one of those little booths, often found in malls. It had been very cramped and just before the flash went off, Chandler had hit his elbow on the wall. They had both cracked up and the camera went off before they could stop. That had been a good day. Monica wished she could go back to when her life was that simple.  
  
Her thoughts were cut off by the sound of the phone. It took Monica a moment to realize what it was, but she soon picked it up and said hello.  
  
"Hi," it was her boss. He sounded excited. "Monica? It's you right Monica?"  
  
Monica sighed and smiled. He was definitely excited. Even though he had a confident, mature exterior, Monica knew he could get as excited as a little kid at Christmas, even from little things. It was one of the things that she liked about him and it made her comfortable with him. "Yes, it's me. What's up?"  
  
"What's up? What's up?!" He repeated, then continued. "You'll never guess. I am so happy. You know why? Because they picked us! The company picked us!"  
  
It took Monica a moment to realize what he was talking about. She had forgotten why she was even here and she had spent so much time being so scared that she had forgotten what this meant for her boss. She was glad. He deserved it. "Oh, that's great, Sir." Monica said, and she meant it.  
  
"Anyway," he said, calming down slightly. "We have to meet with the team, this afternoon, so we are going to meet in the lobby in one hour, kay?"  
  
"Okay," Monica answered and he hung up. It concerned her slightly that she would have to meet the team, but she knew it was only about a dozen people, and she had survived the previous day. Something in her gave her the strength and determination to put on a happy face and decide to be happy and confident today.  
  
* * * * *  
  
A couple hours later Monica found herself in line with her colleagues, about to shake hands with all of the team they would be catering to. She took a deep breath and reached up to touch the ring. She nodded slightly as an assurance to herself that she would be okay. She came to the first person in line.  
  
She looked up, made eye contact, smiled and shook his hand. She then looked down, took a deep breath and moved to the next person. This continued for 4 or 5 people. At the sixth person in line she looked up and gasped. She was speechless. All she could do was stare up at his very familiar face, with his unmistakable, deep blue eyes and sandy brown hair. All she could say was.  
  
"Chandler." then she collapsed. 


	5. Do I know you?

Chapter 5: Remember?  
  
Hi everyone. Thank-you to everyone who reviewed. It makes me happy that you like my stories. One note; on my previous chapters, the dreams were supposed to be in italics, but it didn't copy like that. Just to let you know. Anyway.let me know if you like this chapter.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Jason was momentarily paralyzed when the women from the restaurant fainted, right after calling him Chandler. Chandler. The name was almost familiar in his mind. Maybe it was from his past. No. He told himself, shaking his head. He couldn't think about this right now. He had to help her.  
  
Jason went quickly into action, checking her pulse and making sure she was still breathing. Someone brought a blanket over, which was placed down on top of her, and someone's jacket was improvised as a pillow.  
  
Even though he was determined to concentrate on the task at hand, Jason found his mind wondering. Who was this girl? She seemed so familiar to him. Like he knew her. For the first time in two and a half years, Jason felt a glimmer of hope, as two and a half years ago, he had woken up.in the hospital.  
  
* * * * *  
  
His eyelids felt heavy, as he struggled to open them. He wondered briefly why he felt so exhausted, but the thought was quickly put aside while he worked on focusing his now open eyes. At first everything was fuzzy and unclear. His depth perception wasn't working and everything seemed to be moving slightly. He took a deep breath and surveyed the room.  
  
He could see a bit better now and as he looked around he saw a whitewashed wall with a single, large window on one side of the room. The drapes were closed and he could not see what was outside. On the other side of the room he saw a door. It was half opened. He heard talking and a women, dressed like a nurse walked in.  
  
"Well," she said when she saw he was awake. "It's good to see your eyes open. We were beginning to worry about you."  
  
He was confused. "W-where am I-I?" he managed to get out. His throat was very dry.  
  
The women smiled. "I'll be right back," and she left the room. Only moments later she reentered his room with a glass of water and a doctor.  
  
"Here, take a sip," she said. He did and asked again.  
  
"Where am I?"  
  
"You are in the hospital," the doctor answered. "Do you remember what happened." He searched his memory, but it was fuzzy. He shook his head.  
  
"You were in a plane crash, six months ago," the doctor told him. He signaled for the nurse to leave the room.  
  
"I'm Dr. woods," he offered. "Can you tell me your name?"  
  
Again he shook his head. He couldn't remember anything.  
  
The doctor looked disappointed. "I was dreading this would happen."  
  
* * * * *  
  
Jason sighed and returned his attention to the unconscious women in front of him. She was so familiar to him, like a word you just couldn't put your finger on. He was reminded of a recurring dream he had had for a year after waking up in the hospital. He was fighting against something, he never really knew what. It felt like a strong water current, but there was no water. As he struggled he would get closer and closer to a figure, which would slowly take form. He would see dark hair and, but every time the face began to focus, he lost the fight with the current and was swept away. Then he woke up. It was the same dream every night. He still had occasional, now, 2 and a half years later.  
  
He and the women's boss carefully moved the girl to a small, quiet room, and set her down on a couch. She was very pale, but seemed to be breathing fine.  
  
"Do you know her?" the boss asked.  
  
Jason hesitated. "I- I don't know. You see, I woke in the hospital 2 and a half years ago, after being in a 6 month coma. Apparently I had been in a plane that crashed shortly after leaving Toronto. I had no memory and no ID."  
  
"You never found out who you really were?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Well, then you could very well be the Chandler she is talking about." He paused before going on, contemplating how much he should say. "Monica's fiancé disappeared on his way to a work trip, three years ago. They never heard from him or found a body, or even a shard of evidence."  
  
Jason didn't know what to say. He was overwhelmed. Was he this Chandler that had disappeared? His thoughts were interrupted when Monica began to awake.  
  
  
  
A/N: So, what do you think? Sorry it took so long for this chapter. ( Anyway, I was checking my reviews and first of all thank-you to everyone who has reviewed. Also, thank-you to whoever told me to change my settings to allow everyone to review. I didn't realize they were set that way and I will change them as soon as I figure out how (which, knowing me may be never). One last note. I discovered that I am an idiot. I just relized that I named this story TOW Wallet (the one with wallet). It should be TOW the Wallet. Anyway, look for the next chapter soon. 


	6. Getting to know you

Chapter # 6  
  
A/N: Well I managed to change the title to TOW the Wallet, so it will no longer bug me. I hope everyone likes this chapter (I was slow getting the last one up because I was unsure as to where I was going with the story.) Also, thank-you to whoever wished me a 'happy turkey day', but just to let you know, I am Canadian and my 'turkey day' was last month. Happy Turkey day to all you Americans out there!  
  
  
  
After a short struggle, Monica managed to open her eyes. Everything was blurry. She blinked a couple times, as the world came into focus. She saw her boss looking down at her with concern written across his face. She also saw Chandler.  
  
She was struggling to force her mind to work. She needed answers. Why was he here? Why was he looking at her like that? Why did he look so lost and confused. And finally, why had he disappeared so long ago?  
  
Monica opened her mouth and attempted to make her thoughts into words. "Ch-chandler?. Why.Why? Why are you here? Why did you go? Why did you leave m." She trailed off as she realized that if he was here and he was alive, then he had probably left for a reason. He had purposely disappeared and he hadn't wanted her to know where he was. He had left her because he didn't want her, he didn't love her. With this new information, Monica began to cry.  
  
Her boss seemed to understand what was going through her mind. He motioned for Chandler to leave the room and he then knelt down beside Monica. "Monica," he said. "I think I know what you are thinking."  
  
"He didn't love me," Monica said through her tears. " All these years I thought he was dead, or hurt, or." She trailed off. "I would never allow myself to believe that he didn't love me."  
  
Her boss chose this time to cut it. "It's not what you think, Monica. That man is not the Chandler Bing that you knew. That man's name is Jason Banks. He woke up in the hospital two and a half years ago after a six- month coma, following a plane crash. He doesn't know who he was before the accident. He remembers nothing of his past." He stopped and gave her a moment to let it sink in.  
  
Monica didn't know what to say. She was in shock. She had seen this kind of thing happen in movies, but never in real life. It never occurred to her that he was out there somewhere, live another life, no memory of his previous life with her. This made her cry even more.  
  
Jason didn't know what to think. In the previous hour, his whole life had been turned upside down. He had accepted the fact that he would never know his real name, or anything of his life, and he had never expected this to happen.  
  
"Is she okay?" asked Jeff. Scott was standing beside him, equal concern evident on his face.  
  
"Yah," Jason said, distantly, his mind on other things.  
  
"She called you Chandler, right?" asked Scott. Jason nodded. "Wow, you don't think she could be." He trailed off. He knew from the look on Jason's face that that was exactly what he was thinking. She could be the key to his past.  
  
"Her boss told me her fiancé disappeared 3 years ago." Scott and Jeff were the only people who knew what had happened to Jason.  
  
"Wow," said Scott. "This all makes sense now. I mean, yesterday you said you could tell she was nervous and you stood up to Roger about her. You must have had some weird, past life sense to do that."  
  
Jason nodded his head in agreement. "The moment she walked in the room, it was like I knew I knew her, but I didn't know where from." He sighed. It was frustrating, not remembering anything. It had felt like the past two and a half years of his life had been put on hold because he didn't know who he really was. And now, just when he had decided to give up finding out who he had been, and live the second half of his life as Jason Banks, this women from his past arrived and sent his life back into chaos.  
  
Jason was so frustrated. He just didn't know what to do. Just then Monica's boss came out.  
  
"She wants to talk to you," he said. Jason nodded and quietly entered the room.  
  
Monica immediately looked up when he entered the room. Their eyes met. There was no doubt in her mind that this was the Chandler from her past. She fought back tears and unconsciously reached her hand up to touch the ring, still around her neck. He noticed and remembered noticing it the day before.  
  
"What's around your neck," he asked, breaking the silence.  
  
This startled Monica as she hadn't even noticed what she had done. "O, it's-it's -"  
  
He cut her off. "You don't have to tell me, if its personal or something."  
  
"No, it's not that, it's just that.well," Monica pulled the ring out from under her shirt and showed him. He stepped closer to see it. "It was the ring you .proposed with."  
  
"Oh," he said as recognition appeared on his face. There was an awkward silence. "What, could I not even afford one big enough to fit on your finger, so you have to wear it around your neck?" She gave him a weird look. "I'm sorry," he rushed to say. He felt bad. "I tend to make jokes when I'm uncomfortable."  
  
When Monica heard this she began to cry.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry," he said. "I'm just so bad at this."  
  
"No," Monica said. "You've said that before,"  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yah, on the night you were planning on proposing-"  
  
He cut her off again. "No, don't tell me. The doctor told me if I ever meet someone who knows me, I shouldn't let them tell me very much about my old life, as it will create fake memories, and I will never know if I truly remembered them or not."  
  
"Oh," Monica said. She didn't know what else to say.  
  
"I'm sorry," he said. "And not just for today. I'm sorry for disappearing. I'm sorry for putting you through so much."  
  
"It's not your fault," Monica said, quick to reassure him.  
  
"No, but I still feel bad."  
  
"What do we do know?" she asked.  
  
"Maybe.maybe we could just spend some time together?" Jason asked hopefully, unsure of how much she wanted him back in her life.  
  
"I'd really like that," she said. He looked at her for any sign of unsureness, but saw none. Instead he saw a small spark of hope in her dull eyes.  
  
"Why don't we go out for dinner tonight?" he asked. He was startled by her physical response. She seemed to shudder and went pale, she immediately tried to cover for it, but he had already seen the reaction. "Are you okay?" he asked, softly, trying to tread lightly.  
  
"I'm fine," Monica answered. "I would love to go out for dinner." Monica chided herself for allowing herself to loose control, even for only a few seconds.  
  
Jason found himself knowing that she was scared for some reason, but didn't want to push. He didn't want to take her out if she was scared and he didn't want to confront her. He got an idea. "Why don't you come over to my place for dinner? Then we can talk, in private, for as long as we need. Does that sound okay?"  
  
Monica knew he was trying to make her more comfortable, but she didn't let him know she knew. "That would be great." Jason was proud of himself.  
  
"Okay, I will pick you up at 5:30. Where are you staying?"  
  
* * * * *  
  
"Well, this is it," Jason said as he opened the door to his apartment. "Home sweet home," he finished sarcastically. It was a nice enough apartment, but it had never felt like home to him.  
  
"It's nice," Monica said. Jason rolled his eyes. "It is nice," she said reassuringly, "it's just a bit."  
  
"Blah," they both said together. They looked at each other and laughed. There was an awkward silence.  
  
"Anyway," Jason finally said. "How does pizza sound for dinner?"  
  
Four hours later Monica was stuffed. She had eaten far too much pizza, but aside from the stomach ache, found herself having a good time. It had been weird at first, but now she and Chandler/ Jason were chatting away. He had told her about his life for the past two and a half years and she had told him everything he would let her about his life as Chandler Bing, which hadn't been much.  
  
Jason was surprised when he glanced over at the clock. He had been so caught up in the conversation that he hadn't noticed the hours slip by. He could easily tell why his former self had been in love with this woman. He pointed out the time to Monica and said, "why don't I walk you back to the hotel?"  
  
Monica was disappointed that the evening was over, but she felt a new hope. She had felt the connection between the two of them, and she was sure he had to. She knew it would be hard, but she wanted to be with him again; as Chandler or as Jason.  
  
  
  
A/N: How do you like it so far? Sorry about the delay. I was really sick this week. Anyway, expect the next chapter really soon. I would have made this one longer, but I have to make a decision about which way I want the story to go. I had it all figured out until I got another idea. Now I really don't know. Thanx for reading! 


	7. Time

Chapter # 7  
  
Monica entered her hotel room with a much brighter outlook than she had the night before. For the first time in three years she found herself happy. She knew what she wanted. She glanced at her watch as she reached for her phone. She knew what she had to do. She called her boss, who was accepting of her idea, and then she called home, knowing the gang would be worried about her.  
  
Rachel was nervous. She and the gang were hanging out in Monica's apartment, just like they always had, but today Rachel was worried. Monica hadn't called the night before, or all day today. She hopped nothing had gone wrong. The sound of the phone pulled her out of her thoughts.  
  
"Hello," Rachel said into the receiver. She was relieved when she heard Monica's voice on the other end.  
  
"Hi," Monica said.  
  
"Oh, my god, where have you been? You didn't call and we called you, but you weren't there. Monica, we were so worried. I thought you had pulled a Chan." Rachel immediately trailed off as she realized what she was saying. "Oh, Mon, I am so sorry."  
  
"It's okay," Monica said.  
  
Rachel was taken aback. For the past three years, every time anyone had mentioned Chandler, Monica had nearly broken down, but this time she seemed fine. Rachel didn't know what to say, so Ross took the phone from her.  
  
"Hey, sis, how've you been?"  
  
"I've been okay," Monica said truthfully.  
  
"That's good. What time do you want us to pick you up at the airport tomorrow?"  
  
"That's actually why I'm calling," Monica said. "You see, I'm not coming home tomorrow."  
  
"Oh, does the restaurant need you to stay longer? That's good. When are you coming home?"  
  
"No, it's not for the restaurant. It's for me. I'm taking some time off of work, and I'm staying here for awhile."  
  
"Why?, Ross asked, concern etching into his voice.  
  
"I just need to figure some things out," Monica answered. She didn't want to let the gang know the truth, because she knew it wouldn't do any good. They would probably all rush to Toronto and, although it was slightly selfish, Monica wanted to spend time with Chandler/Jason alone.  
  
"How long are you staying?" Ross asked.  
  
"I don't know."  
  
Ross was at a loss for words. He wanted to argue with her, to insist she come home, but he had heard something in her voice that he hadn't heard in sometime. She was confident about her decision. It would probably do he some good to spend some time away from people who knew about her past.  
  
"Okay, Mon, if this is important to you, I fully support it. But, if you needed anything, you know who to call."  
  
"Thank-you Ross, and I do know I can call you."  
  
"Well, I'll let you go, I know it's late. Call me tomorrow?"  
  
"Of course. Bye"  
  
"Bye."  
  
"Well?" asked Rachel as soon as he hung up the phone. "What's up?"  
  
"She's gonna stay in Toronto for a little while."  
  
"By herself?" Joey asked.  
  
Ross nodded.  
  
"Why?" asked Phoebe.  
  
"I'm not sure, but I'm sure it will do her some good. She never really got over what happened with Mark." he trailed off as he remembered that fateful day over a year and a half ago.  
  
Ross heard a scream as he and Joey entered Monica's apartment. They heard another scream, followed by a bone-crunching sound and crying. They rushed to Monica's room where the sound was coming from, and found an awful sight. Mark had Monica pinned down on her bed, attempting to pull up her skirt. He had almost succeeded, against all the efforts Monica was putting in to stop him. Ross immediately went into action.  
  
He grabbed the back of Mark's collar and pulled him off of his sister. He spun him around and punched him in the face. Hard. He managed to punch him one more time, before Mark got a punch in as well, which made Ross loosen his hold, but Joey was right there to step in. He hit Mark over the head with a pan he had grabbed form the kitchen. Mark fell unconscious. Ross and Joey rushed to console Monica who had gone into a state of shock and was currently in a fetal position on her bed, crying. Ross had pulled her into a hug, while Joey had called the police. Mark had been arrested and the trial had gone well, considering. Apparently there were many other women he had abused and even raped, but Ross and Joey had been the first witnesses to come forward. This had helped Mark to be convicted and sentenced to 15 years.  
  
* * * * *  
  
The next day Monica woke up and walked down to Jason's apartment. She explained to him that she was going to stay in Toronto for a while to sort things out.  
  
A week later Jason took Monica to a small diner for dinner. Monica was a little nervous at first, but settled down after a short time. She found herself having a good time. She felt safe with Jason. She had decided too give up thinking of him as Chandler, and now thought of him as Jason.  
  
"Monica," Jason started, unsure of how to begin. "I was thinking, I don't know how long your going to stay, but I know it must be expensive to stay in a hotel, and I have an empty room. So.do you want to stay with me?"  
  
"I would love to," Monica said. "And when you go to New York in 2 months, you can stay with me."  
  
Chandler was glad that Monica seemed to be happy. He knew it must be difficult to be with him and not expect so much more. She was an amazing person. His eyes met hers and he leaned in to kiss her. The kiss lasted several seconds, and when he finally pulled back, Monica felt a tear run down her cheek. At Jason's concerned expression, she smiled, letting him know everything was all right.  
  
"I'm so happy," Monica told him.  
  
"Me to, Mon, me to." He had started called her Mon for short, completely by himself. It had shocked Monica to hear the nickname come from his mouth, as she hadn't mentioned it. She hoped it was a step in the right direction.  
  
"Jason," Monica yelled a month later. "We're going to be late. Let's go." They were going to Jason's company's annual Banquet and Jason was quickly learning about Monica's obsessive side.  
  
"Late, my ass," Jason muttered to himself. "Coming, honey," he said sarcastically, as he entered the front hall.  
  
"Don't 'coming honey' me," Monica mocked, as he came into view. He smiled at her and pulled her into a hug. He then kissed her forehead and whispered. "Mon, we have over an hour."  
  
"I know, but there could be traffic. And what if we don't get a cab?"  
  
"Then we walk. It's only a twenty minute walk, you know?"  
  
"I know," Monica said. "I just want tonight to go okay."  
  
Jason smiled. She had told him about Mark a couple weeks ago and she was doing really well. She still found being in a large group of strangers difficult, but he found she was growing more and more confident each day. She seemed to feel braver if she was with him. This made him feel good. "Don't worry, Mon. It will be perfect." He pulled her in closer and wrapped his arms around her back. She relaxed in his arms and rested her head on his shoulder.  
  
"Monica?" Jason said. "I.um.I love you."  
  
Monica pulled her head up off of Jason's shoulder and looked into his eyes. "I love you, to." She kissed him. The kiss lasted some time, before she finally broke it. She sighed contentedly as she rested her head on his shoulder once again.  
  
"You look beautiful, by the way," Jason added.  
  
Monica took a step back to take a look at Jason. "You don't look so bad yourself." Monica said. She then glanced down at her watch. "Damnit!"  
  
"What?" Jason asked.  
  
"We just lost ten minutes," Monica said, exasperated. "We gotta go!" She then grabbed Jason's hand and pulled him out the door. He rolled his eyes as she rushed them down the stairs to the street to catch a cab.  
  
The next morning, Monica awoke to find herself wrapped in Jason's arms in bed. She smiled and shifted her weight slightly. Even though he was asleep, he tightened his grip on her, and pulled her in closer. She smiled and sighed. She was so happy. The banquet the night before had been amazing. They had had a great time. Monica had found, for the first time in so long, that she was comfortable in a place full of people. She had even had conversations with people she didn't even know. It was great. Another thing for her to be happy about was the fact that Jason had talked to his boss the day before, and had gotten himself a position in the New York office, they were leaving to start up in a month. The original reason for Monica traveling to Toronto in the first place. It was ironic, Monica thought that she had dreaded this trip so much, and look what it had gotten her. Everything she had wanted for three years: Chandler back, and her self- esteem and self-confidence back. Monica smiled as she fell back to sleep.  
  
Rachel sighed as she flipped through the pages of her magazine. She was bored. She missed having her best friend there to go through catalogues with. She loved Phoebe, but didn't love Phoebe's choice in clothing. She, along with the rest of the gang, had wanted to go to Toronto, but Monica had said no, repeatedly. What ever she was up to, she didn't want them to know. She called almost every night, but never gave them her phone number. They could only reach her on her cell. She was glad, however, that Monica was returning home the next day and was awaiting her call. The sound of the phone ringing cut off Rachel's thoughts on the subject.  
  
"Hello?" she said.  
  
"Hi Rach," Monica's voice said.  
  
"Hey, Mon. How's life?"  
  
"It's good. Yours?"  
  
"Eh," Rachel said. "It's been boring lately. I miss you."  
  
"I miss you to, Rach, but I'm coming home tomorrow."  
  
"Good. What time do want me to pick you up?"  
  
"Um, I don't need a pick-up, I've got a ride."  
  
"With who?"  
  
"No one, it's not important."  
  
"Mon, there's something you're not telling me. I know it."  
  
"You'll find out soon enough. Tell the gang to meet in my apartment tomorrow at 4:00. I have something to tell all of you."  
  
"Okay"  
  
"And Rachel?"  
  
"Yah?"  
  
"Thanks"  
  
"For what?"  
  
"For everything. For being so supportive over the last two months."  
  
"You know that wasn't a problem, Monica."  
  
"I know, and I also know you blame yourself for Mark."  
  
Rachel didn't know what to say. "Well, it was my fault."  
  
"No, it wasn't. You had no way of knowing. Rachel I want you to know that I don't blame you. I never did."  
  
"Thank-you," Rachel said fighting back tears.  
  
"Oh, Rach, don't cry."  
  
"I'm trying not to."  
  
"Anyway, I should go."  
  
"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow."  
  
"Bye Rach."  
  
"Bye Mon"  
  
Monica hung up the phone and smiled. She had finally gotten that off of her back. She sighed. Her life was finally falling back into place.  
  
The next day, Monica flew to New York with Jason and his colleagues. Jason had a hotel room for the two months they were starting up the New York branch, so he went to set up, while Monica took a cab home. She had declined a ride home from her friends because she didn't want them to see Jason yet. She had to explain some things to them first.  
  
At 4 o'clock, Monica walked in the door to her apartment, to find Rachel, Phoebe, Joey and Ross sitting, patiently, waiting for her to arrive. They all jumped up and rushed to hug her.  
  
Ross immediately noticed that his sister looked different. She looked happy. He was taken aback, as he hadn't seen her happy in some time. He went forward to give her a hug and noticed something. Her eyes were no longer dull, they were now sparkling with their previous joy.  
  
"So," he said. "Rachel said you have something to tell us."  
  
"I do," Monica said, now unsure as to how to begin. "Lets sit down." The five of them took seats around the table. "Now, when I tell you this I need you to let me tell you everything, before you say anything. Okay?" Everyone agreed.  
  
"Okay," Monica said. She took a deep breath. "When I first went to Toronto, one of the employees of the company we are catering to ended up being Chandler." She was immediately cut off by all four friends, wanting answers. "You said you would let me talk."  
  
Silence. She began again. "The only reason I didn't tell you was because it wasn't really Chandler. You see Chandler was in a plane crash the day he disappeared. He was in a coma for 6 months before waking up with amnesia. He didn't remember anything, not even his name. Since he was on a flight out of Toronto they assumed he had lived in Toronto. He got a job and lived as Jason Banks for two and a half years. I recognized him and we started spending time together, trying to help him get his memory back. We started our relationship again. Now, he is in town for this work thing and then he is going to stay. You have to know that he is not Chandler. He is Jason. He still can't remember, and you can't tell him anything about his past, so he can remember it on his own. If you tell him something it may create a false memory. Okay?"  
  
Everyone agreed. "Good, cause we're meeting him for dinner in an hour."  
  
  
  
A/N: What do you think? How are the friends going to react? How is Jason going to react? Will he get his memory back? (Wow, all these questions make the story sound like a soap opera () anyway, let me know what you think. 


	8. I remeber!

Chapter # 8  
  
A/N: I'm so sorry this took so long, but my English ISU was due this week and it took me forever. I hope to finish soon and hopefully start another story, I just need an idea. Anyway, hope you enjoy!  
  
Jason adjusted his tie for the millionth time in the last 5 minutes. He was nervous. He was about to meet his old friends for the first time. Monica had told him that the six of them had once been very close. He was nervous as to how they would accept him as he was now. How much did Monica tell them about his situation? Had she even told them that they were together? How would he know if she told them.  
  
  
  
The feeling of weight on his shoulder interrupted his thoughts. He turned his head and found Monica standing beside him. She gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze.  
  
"You looked lost in thought," she said with a small smile. "You okay?"  
  
"Yup. Good. Great. Yup. Uh hu. Good."  
  
"Nervous," Monica asked smiling at the look on Jason's face.  
  
"Little bit," he said holding his thumb and finger up, about half an inch apart.  
  
Monica smiled warmly at him. "You'll be fine. Trust me."  
  
Jason opened his mouth, about to argue when he saw the look on Monica's face. He took a deep breath and ordered his nerves to calm down. She was right. He would be fine. He could trust her. He nodded. He was ready. Monica stepped back, allowing him to see past her. He saw four people standing there, awkwardly. They seemed to be just as apprehensive as he was. He attempted a smile. They smiled back. If it wasn't for the awkwardness of the situation, Jason would have laughed.  
  
After a short pause, One of the women stepped forward, a warm smile on her face. She had long blonde hair, and a very unique outfit. She stepped up to him and offered him her hand, which he shook.  
  
"Hi Ch.Jason. Good to see-meet you.again." She stuttered through her greeting. "I'm Phoebe. . I'm really glad your home, I mean back, cause this probably doesn't feel like home to you, because, well y'know. But, it is .. your home, I mean." Phoebe stopped, realizing she was babbling. "This is stupid. It shouldn't be so awkward." She pulled Jason into a hug.  
  
"Whoever you are now, we're still your friends and we love you. We really missed you, and we're glad your back. It will be weird for us to call you Jason, but we'll get used to it. You're still the same person."  
  
Jason felt his eyes getting a little misty. It amazed him that these people, who were strangers to him, would accept him so readily. "Thank- you," he said, simply.  
  
Jason was then introduced to Rachel, Ross and Joey. Everyone seemed to be really nice. The six of them sat down for dinner. Monica sat beside Jason and moved her chair slightly closer to him while doing so. It did not go unnoticed, but no one said anything.  
  
"So," Ross started. "How do you like living in Canada?"  
  
"It's okay, I guess, but it never felt right, y'know? As soon as I landed in New York, I got this feeling.like I was home, or something. It's very familiar. It's good to be back, even if I don't remember." Jason finished and reached across the table for Monica's hand. Their eyes met for a moment and she smiled at him. She was glad everything was going so well. He was beginning to calm down. Monica was glad Phoebe had broken the ice, in her own unique way. It seemed to put everyone at ease.  
  
"How long are you here for?" Joey asked, hesitantly.  
  
"Well," Jason started. "Hopefully indefinitely. After my team finishes and goes back to Toronto, I'm staying to help run the new office."  
  
"So you're moving back here?" Rachel exclaimed. "That's great!" Rachel had been worrying for the past hour that when Jason moved back to Toronto, Monica would go with him. She could see how happy they were together. It amazed her that Monica could be so strong. To love him, even though he remembered nothing of their previous relationship. It occurred to her that they truly were meant for each other. Chandler/Jason had some sort of control over Monica. Before he had disappeared, Chandler had been able to calm her down when she freaked out over the little things, and now, as Jason, he had restored her sense of self-confidence, of self-esteem. Rachel knew Monica was not her original self again, as she had seen the way Monica reacted when a stranger bumped into her by accident on the walk to the restaurant, but she hadn't broken down, and she recovered quickly. A stranger wouldn't have known anything had been wrong. The thing that got Rachel the most was the fact that the light had returned to Monica's eyes. For the past year and a half Monica's eyes had been dull and lifeless, like she had no reason to be happy, or hopeful, but now, her eyes shown with a new sense of hope. Her change over the last two months was like night and day.  
  
* * * * *  
  
3 MONTHS LATER.  
  
Monica opened the door to her and Jason's apartment with a smile on her face. She dropped the mail off on the table and hit the play button on the answering machine. Following a message from her mom there was a message from Jason.  
  
"Hey Sweetie. How's your day been? Sorry I didn't call you at lunch, I was in a meeting all day. Are we still on for tonight? I'll meet you at the restaurant at 6. kay? If I'm a couple minutes late, don't worry, I'll be there. Love you. Bye."  
  
Monica smiled. She felt so lucky. Her life was finally falling back into place. She was with the man she loved, she felt safe in public again, well mostly safe in public again. Monica began humming to herself as she sorted through the mail and went to get changed. Her thoughts wondered back to a recent conversation she had had with Rachel. Rachel had asked about Jason's memory and Monica had been taken aback. She had almost forgotten that he had lost his memory. It was weird to her that she had let it slip her mind. It was like it wasn't important to her anymore. She loved him for who he was, not who he had been. At five-thirty, Monica applied finishing touches to her make up and was ready to go. She was wearing a simple, but elegant dress and was wearing her hair down, lightly curled. Monica took a deep breath and walked out the door.  
  
Half an hour later, Monica sighed and glanced, again, at her watch. It was 6 o' clock. Jason had said in his message that he might be late. She sighed once more and took a sip of her drink. She hoped he would hurry, She was beginning to become uncomfortable being alone in a room filled with people. Her thoughts were interrupted.  
  
"Monica! Long time no see. How have you been?"  
  
At the familiar voice, Monica looked up to see a face she hadn't seen in four years.  
  
"Richard. Hi."  
  
"Can I sit down?"  
  
"Uh," Monica started, glancing around the room for Jason. "Sure."  
  
"So, what are you doing sitting all alone in a fancy reaturant?"  
  
"Oh, I'm waiting for Jason."  
  
"Jason?" Richard asked. "What happened to Chandler?"  
  
"Oh, well that's kinda a long story."  
  
"I have time."  
  
* * * * *  
  
Jason glanced at his watch as he hurried down the street to the restaurant he was to meet Monica at. It was just after six as he entered the front doors. His eyes quickly located Monica in the crowd. He noticed she was talking to another man. He could only see the back of his head, but he was slightly upset by the fact that the man was sitting very close to Monica and Monica seemed at little uncomfortable at this.  
  
Jason hurried across the floor, trying not to call attention to himself as he approached the table. He looped around so he would come up face to face with the strange man. He stopped at the table and cleared his throat. Both heads came up.  
  
"Hey sweetie," Monica greeted him. "I just bumped into -"  
  
"Richard." Jason said, looking at Richard. "I haven't seen you for some time."  
  
"Okay, now I'm confused," Richard said, looking at Monica. "I thought you said you were waiting for a guy named Jason?"  
  
It was then that both Monica and Jason realized what had happened. They looked at each other in shock.  
  
Jason was in shock. "Oh my God, Mon, I remember. I remember! Monica, I remember." He was getting very excited.  
  
"Oh my God, Sweetie, that's great." Monica jumped up and threw her arms around his neck.  
  
Richard sat there, very confused, as the couple celebrated. He had been happy to see Monica, he still missed her, but watching the couple, it been apparent that she was truly happy with Chandler.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Monica and Chandler arrived home to find their friends in their apartment, hanging out, as usual. They had ended up having dinner with Richard, after explaining the situation. It seemed only fitting as he was the reason Chandler had gotten his memory back. Richard had been the biggest threat in Chandler's life before his memory loss, and it took a threat that big to twig something in his mind. After remembering one thing, he remembered everything. It amazed him now that he could have forgotten it all in the first place. He remembered his childhood, he remembered growing up, college, moving into New York, his friends, London, everything.  
  
"Guys, guess what?" Monica exclaimed, excitedly.  
  
"What?" Phoebe asked.  
  
Monica looked at Chandler.  
  
Chandler smiled. "Do you guys remember the time when we went to Vegas and Ross and Rachel got really drunk and got married?"  
  
Everyone nodded, and Ross and Rachel rolled their eyes.  
  
"Well," he started. "So do I."  
  
It took a few moments to sink in, but the gang reacted ecstatically. They all jumped up and congratulated him, as well as asked him many question, which began to get annoying to Chandler.  
  
"Okay, enough! You're starting to bug me!"  
  
"Sorry," everyone said. Soon after everyone took off, after congratulating him one last time.  
  
It left only Monica and Chandler. Monica stepped over to him and he pulled her into a hug. She rested her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes, savoring the moment. She loved him so much.  
  
"I love you, Mon," he whispered quietly, reading her thoughts.  
  
"I love you, too,..What do I call you now?"  
  
"I don't know," Chandler said. "What ever you want."  
  
"You know what? I really don't think it matters what your name is, it's who you are. And I don't mean this in a sappy way, but it's true. It doesn't matter where you live, or what you do, or what your name is, it only matters to me that you are you. Y'know?"  
  
"I know," Chandler said, nodding. "I feel the same way about you. You know that right."  
  
"I know."  
  
Chandler pulled her close again and put his hand on the back of her head, pulling her into a long, passionate kiss. He tried to put into the kiss what he could not express with words. He realized what he had said was very true. It didn't matter who you were with as long as you loved them. And he loved Monica. She had loved him as two people and as those two people, he had loved her. He knew right then, with out a second thought, that he would spend the rest of his life with her.  
  
"Hey Mon," he started.  
  
"What?" she asked, her voice filled with emotion.  
  
"You know that ring you wear around your neck?"  
  
She nodded, not sure where this was going.  
  
"Do you think you could maybe, where it on your finger again?"  
  
Monica smiled and nodded, trying to hold back tears. Her life was back together again. She pulled herself closer to Chandler, and again closed her eyes. She felt his arms close around her back and he sighed. She listened to his heart beat as they stood there like that, not moving, neither of them wanting to break the silence. This was where she belonged.  
  
  
  
A/N: Well, that's it. Hope you liked it. It was hard to write the last chapter, I had trouble making all of my ideas come together. Anyway, I hope you liked it. I probably won't write an epilogue, but with enough demand for it I may consider. Hopefully I'll have a new story up soon. I have an idea for a storyline, but I don't really know where it would go. Thanks for reading. 


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